The folks over at the Southeast Stormwater Association have set the date and location of their annual conference: October 6-8 at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. According to the event’s webpage, the organizers aim to “bring quality training to stormwater professionals,” specifically targeting local, state and federal government administrators and regulators; developers, builders, contractors; land […]
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New Levee Outreach
Posted on December 16, 2009
The brainy folks over at the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) have released a little handy outreach booklet designed to help folks living behind levees understand their risks. It’s called, appropriately, So, You Live Behind a Levee! The 28-page booklet answers such questions as: What does it mean to live behind a levee? Are […]
DHS Releases Grant Guidance for 2010
Posted on December 15, 2009
The folks over at Emergency Management have posted a good summary of the newly released 2010 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Grant Guidance. While the bulk of the $2.7 billion is targeted at terrorism-related security (this is DHS, after all), there’s plenty here for those looking for funding to protect coastal communities from weather and […]
NEW StormSmart Coasts Network Calendar
Posted on December 14, 2009
We’ve started pulling together a calendar for the site that will list events we think would be useful for our readers across the network. It’s not much yet — little more than a list of events we’ve heard about recently — but we’ve got big plans. Once we get it populated we’ll make it look […]
FEMA's Fast-Track Dispute Resolution for Katrina Clean-Up Not Popular?
Posted on December 2, 2009
When the Federal Government modified The Civilian Board of Contract Appeals in August, their goal was to: “. . . resolve disputes between applicants and the Federal Emergency Management Agency as to funding for public assistance applications arising from Hurricane Katrina and Rita damage.” The quick version? The special arbitration panel hears from all sides, […]
GIS Training (Mobile, AL: January 5th)
Posted on November 23, 2009
This from the fine folks at the Coastal States Organization: “On January 5 there will be a GIS training for coastal resource professionals in Mobile, Alabama on the Habitat Priority Planner. The tool is a geographic information system (GIS)-based tool used to make decisions about land use, conservation, and restoration. Different scenarios can be quickly […]
FEMA Clarifies Sand Replacement and Public Assistance Funding
Posted on November 20, 2009
FEMA has released a 4-page PDF called “Eligible Sand Replacement on Public Beaches” which clarifies the availability of public assistance funding for the replacement of sand on damaged public beaches. Briefly? Under certain conditions, funding may be available for both emergency and permanent work, but it needs to meet certain requirements and not be in […]
Need Good Elevation Data? (Funding Opportunity)
Posted on November 19, 2009
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has announced a competitive grant opportunity to fund the collection and processing of high resolution elevation data and orthoimagery. Priorities for The National Map: Imagery and Elevation Maps under ARRA (CFDA 15.817) include collecting elevation data over coastal areas most susceptible to storm and hurricane flooding, earthquake damage, and coastal […]
FEMA Wants to Know What You REALLY Think About the NFIP
Posted on November 18, 2009
Since Congress created it in 1968, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has helped provide affordable flood insurance to millions of people. The program was designed as both a carrot and as a stick: while it allows many to purchase relatively inexpensive flood insurance, it requires communities to adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance […]
Preventing Human-Caused Disasters (Editorial)
Posted on November 17, 2009
“The best disaster response and recovery policy is advance planning, land use, and building codes to prevent a disaster from happening in the first place. Society has the experience and tools at its disposal to prevent many of the devastating impacts disasters have on humans.” In this month’s Natural Hazards Observer (PDF), Edward A. Thomas […]